Another novice cat owner here. Getting new kitten on Sunday. Advice please!

[ToffeeWhirl]

I have been looking at old threads here and it's been really helpful, but still have a couple of questions. Firstly, am I meant to put newspaper down under the cat litter or just sprinkle the cat litter straight into the litter tray? Am not sure what newspaper will achieve, but have this odd feeling I should!

The other thing I'm troubled about is that we are bringing the kitten back in the car with us and it will be a four-hour journey. I have borrowed a cat carrier and bought some Feliway to spray in it. Am just looking out old fleeces and towels to make it snuggly. What I'm worried about is what to do about food, water and the kitten's need to wee/poo. It is toilet trained already (it's 14 weeks' old), but will it just do that in the carrier if it needs to? Could I bring the litter tray and offer that or is that a mad idea? I do have an absorbant disposable mat to place under the towels in case of sickness or anything else.

And I don't know what to do about food because some advice says don't feed your cat before a journey in case it makes it travel sick. But surely it's cruel not to offer the kitten some food on the journey? I will obviously be offering water anyway.

Also, a friend told me to bring ear plugs for the journey because the cat might be noisy. It's a Balinese (like a Siamese). I have visions of a four-hour journey from hell, with yowling travel-sick kitten and two wailing, travel-sick children.

I suspect he would run a mile rather than paddle in salty water, Zebra.

DH is being dispatched to the pet shop to buy a wood-pellet based litter this morning.

It's sweet that your cats are so attached to you that they miss you when you are away, Zebra. I hadn't realised that cats could get so attached. I have only lived with two cats in my life and neither showed the slightest sign of caring for any of our family, so I thought all cats were like that.

When you next go away, could you leave them each a piece of your clothing to cuddle up to? Perhaps your smell would be a comfort to them.

Nope - they're not all like that. Siamese (Balinese) in particular can be quite obsessed with their people. Seniorboy would pine dreadfully if I was away for more than an overnight.

The upside is that it makes them very easy to train. Exclusion from The Presence is so awful to them and all.

Oh dear, and we have a week's holiday booked in July. How will ToffeeKitten cope?

Difficult to say. Do you have any friends or relations nearby that could come in to clean trays and put food out etc?

PS - I've been known to take my boys on (UK) holiday with me!

I have just suggested that to DH. The holiday is in the UK, so we could take kitty if the conditions of the flat let allow pets. Will have to check. I seem to remember 'no dogs', but no mention of cats (probably because that is less usual).

How would he cope with a different environment, though? I thought cats hated change?

If he can't come with us, we have lovely neighbours with cats of their own who would be happy to come in, I'm sure (and would probably play with kitty too).

Oh My. You are hooked.

Best, probably, to judge nearer the time when you have a better idea of his character. I never had any resistance to a Siamese once I assured them that he had no fleas, wouldn't scratch their furniture or carpets (took some with me) and was fully house trained. That said, these were 'pet friendly' establishments who just weren't expecting a cat. Taking a cat with you is not usual.

I've even stayed in hotels with one! (The only downside to those was the continuous progression of hotel staff who wanted an audience (!) or eg the chambermaids coming up with 'Chef just lightly sweated some chicken breast in butter and wondered if he would care for it for supper'. )

It's difficult to say. I've never gone away with any but housecats and it's evens whether you're more anxious about them escaping from a house into a completely strange environment or worrying about whether they're eating back at home. I'd only do it with a Siamese (Balinese to you) because they're so fixated on their people that on balance they prefer being with you in a strange place to being without you in somewhere they know.

I think that it might just be best, this time round, to leave him at home if you have reliable neighbours - but I'd try to introduce them at least a couple of times beforehand if you do.

I am . We all are, apart from DS2, who is still holding out, but will now tolerate kitty in his room.

I love the idea of you taking your Siamese to hotels with you and the chef cooking delicacies!

We are going to the Isles of Scilly, so it is a long journey from where we are (Sussex) and I imagine that in itself would be stressful for our kitten. So, on balance, it is probably going to be less stressful for him if we leave him at home. He has met the neighbours once already, but will make sure he has some cuddles with them first. Might pay for someone to come in and feed him and change the litter too, so neighbours don't feel too put upon. I have fed their cats for them in the past.

He has been very playful this morning. He has hugged a toy mouse to death and chased several balls round the floor. Also managed to get into our bedroom (ah ha!) and hide under the bed.

Yes. He's only young yet and going over the sea on a ferry (?) might be too much.

Under your bed, eh? (IE - not in open sight.) Clever little cat.

PS - it just occurred to me also. By July he'll be getting to 'that age' so is probably best kept at home. Have you booked him into the vet yet?

Oh god, yes - 'that age'! And Balinese/Siamese develop earlier, apparently. Will have to get him neutered before then.

I'd have it done as soon as it's realistic given his weight and development. Have a word with your vet about it?

Will do, cozie.

Managed to shut him in the downstair's cupboard this afternoon . I'd opened the door to get the mop and bucket out, then shut it and gone off to make lunch. I did wonder, in passing, where he'd gone, but presumed he was up in DS2's room enjoying the sun. It was only the rustling of papers from behind the cupboard door that alerted me to him.

He seems to have lost his noisy voice, oddly. I don't know if that's because he's more comfortable here or because he has a sore throat. Do cats even get sore throats? He still miaows, but you can barely hear it.

They can get sore throats or throat strain but it might just be that he's calmed down and he'll get his stridency back. Has he had all his initial shots ?

I left my jamas on their beds for them when I went into hospital & apparently they spent a lot of their time snuggled up to them & snuffling them.

The change in the weather seems to have them pretty tired: got back from ballet today & for once cats didn't run to the door to meet me. I got a "meow-meow!" when I called hello & when I went upstairs they were languidly snuggling on my bed. They requested I join them & when I did they rearranged themselves to be touching me & then started chirrup-purring: oh. so. cute.

Def sort out getting him snipped (& chipped if he's not already done...) as soon as he can be. Mine were 6 months when they were done as they'd been playing catch-up on the growing front & showing no signs of needing to be done!

Blond!cat has managed to lose his collar somewhere so I'd better be getting his spare...

Mine silent miaows if we're looking at her at the time. Her most used noise is a prrp noise she makes if she's a bit surprised or is making her presence known. She miaows if she wants food or attention and yowls if it's something important like being stranded on the chest of drawers or in the bath tub.

Seniorboy is actually quite quiet for a Siamese and tends to sound off when he wants something - which isn't that often because he usually gets it without asking. He's elderly, though, and seems happy now just to sit with me.

I was just checking that Snowy was OK on his shots because I think that strange or croaky vocalization can be an early symptom of cat flu. I reckon, though, that it's much more likely to be just that he's happier now and not being so mouthy.

Yes, he's had his shots, cozi. I have noticed him sneeze sometimes. Do cats get colds? I asked the vet about the sneezing when I took him for his check up last week because he'd sneezed a few times and she took his temperature, but said it was fine. I think she wasn't worried because he'd had his vaccinations.

Since I last posted, he has done one loud 'waaa' birdy noise, so is capable of it, but then was back to his nearly silent, breathy noises again. I miss him yowling back at me when I call him, like he did last week.

Zebra - your cats sound very affectionate and attached to you. I will get Toffeekitten snipped and chipped. My local vet gives discounts on snipping to encourage it.

Queen - 'prrp' noise is a good description. We need more words for cat noises. My cat doesn't 'miaow'.

cozie - "seems quite happy just to sit with me". Aww.

Had a sneaky nap on DS2's bed this afternoon, whilst DS2 was absorbed with playing Lego. I knew kitty would join me and, sure enough, soon felt a soft nose pressed against my chin.

If he's had all his shots and been vetted he should be fine, Toffee. Probably did too much noisemaking recently!

......soon felt a soft nose pressed against my chin......

Yep - Mummy's Boy sure enough.

My cats make my life vastly better (who cares about being too ill to go out when that means cat snuggles all day?!) & I am very lucky they are so affectionate. I went to help at my best friend's Guide Unit tonight & when I got home the cats were sitting on the windowsills in the front room watching for me. It is ridiculously cute, that habit. (But also makes me have The Guilt for having dared to go out. Hem.)

Am v glad to hear you'll be getting Toffeekitten chipped - I honestly think microchipping should be compulsory. Mine seem to want to be indoor cats (which tbh I don't mind in the slightest) but I think having them chipped's still important. Before I got the cats I had a canine overnight visitor who was Lost & we were only able to get him back home because he was microchipped.. It turned out Pepe-the-Dog was staying with a friend of his owner & he - and his son - had suddenly bolted out of the house & away. Pepe ran into the traffic on Shooters Hill & was rescued from underneath a car, where he had come to a terrified stop, by my brother. No joy was had in finding anyone to claim Pepe so he came back here for the night. My poor brother, having crawled under a car & almost been bitten & generally suffered in the rescuing of Pepe found himself promptly abandoned in favour of me. Sadly at the time he was collected from the vet - and I wasn't there, had had to go off to hospital appt - there was as yet no news of his brother. Similarly, when Beautiful Auburn Kitten appeared on my road last year, lost&confused, he got back home (after being missing three days!) thanks to his being microchipped. So yes. Microchipping for all. Well, maybe not so much the humans. Hem.

In Italy a cat sneezing is good luck. My cats are surprisingly obliging about sneezing when I am wishing someone luck, to point I'm wondering if they know about the superstition & are choosing to help me out. With blonde!cat having managed to open a new tab & google something t'other day I'd really not put it past them to have done the research

Zebra - how cute that your cats sit and look out for you. What sort of cats do you have? I suspect not all cats are like this. I think all of us in our family are benefiting from ToffeeKitten's adoration and desire for cuddles (well, apart from DS2 who remains jealous of him and refers to him as my new baby). I'm so glad I have found a kitten who wants human companionship.

Re: microchipping. When I took kitty to the vet, the receptionist asked me whether I was going to get him microchipped. I wasn't sure at that time because we think he should stay an indoor cat, but she said she has microchipped all her indoor cats, just in case one of them manages to get out one day. The thought of losing ToffeeKitten was so awful that I decided it was better to get him done (and it's quite cheap, anyway).

Glad to know a cat sneezing is good luck! Arf at blonde cat googling!

Kitty fell asleep on the bed with DS1 last night, although I carried him downstairs later. This is so good for DS1 as, hopefully, it is distracting him from his OCD rituals and helping him to relax.

Had to come downstairs last night because DS2 was awake and ill and needing Calpol. Our kitten was fast asleep in his box (still with a hot-water bottle every night) and didn't even come out to chat to me.

Lots of kitten cuddles this morning. Also, he has 'killed' a toy bird.

He didn't stir because even in his sleep he recognized your step and still felt safe.

My two are Just Moggy. Their mother's a tortie but the vet thinks they're probably only half brothers - they came from a litter of 6 with three jet black kittens, 2 gingers & My Beautiful Blond Boy.

Poor Mummy Cat has had umpteen litters of kittens (starting much too young) & with this one opted to give birth an a neighbour's attic. Said neighbour's (adult) son (living in said attic) took on caring for mother & litter as didn't want to dump them on an already overloaded shelter & owners not, tbh, interested in the slightest.

So my cats came to me having lived in a dilapidated attic for the first two months of their lives (think their love of sitting in the damp bath after I've showered is because they used to sit in the tins/bowls/pans(etc) down to catch water coming in when it rained!) & only ever seeing the one person. At very irregular intervals. I was amazed how quickly they went from Terrified & Semi-Feral to treating me as New Mummy Cat. Blond!cat was vocal very quickly but when black!cat found his purr much later on I almost cried - he looked so startled at finding himself making That Noise & it had a funny rusty sound to it at first...

It is lovely to hear Toffeekitten is bringing you all so much joy - I hope your DS2 comes round to his furry little foster brother soon I can see how The Kitten could well help DS1 with managing his OCD behaviours - when my clinical psychologist friend talks about Purr Therapy it is not entirely in jest!

Yay for Kitten Cuddles! Did he bring you the toybird once he had killed it? The Zebra!Cats quite often bring me their "prey" - mostly their toys but fairly early on my brother foolishly left a bag of loose-leaf tea out & they brought me that!

Oh, that's sweet, cozie. I hope so.

Zebra - your cats sound gorgeous and full of character. I love the image of black cat finding his purr.

Re: Purr Therapy. My son has actually been for 'farm therapy', which is run on a smallholding nearby. Being with the animals and working outside has had a beneficial effect on him.

Small drama in the life of ToffeeKitten: little bloody pawprints in the bathroom this morning, then more bloody pawprints later on . Luckily by then my friend had arrived. She grew up with Siamese and it shows. Kitty took to her right away. He let her check his paw and she thinks there may be something in it, so we bathed it in salt water and are taking him to the vet in the morning.

I have put the new litter down and he has had a snuffle, but is sticking to the old litter so far. Realised I should probably mix some of his old litter in there to make it smell familiar to him, shouldn't I?

Am up at this stupid time because I woke up thirsty after possibly imbibing too much at a friend's house this evening. Kitty heard me typing, stretched and yawned at me, then climbed into my lap and went back to sleep.